Thought For Today - April
 

April 1

Ready To Be Fooled?

To be fooled or not to be fooled, that is the question!

If you get fooled today, don't worry, it is April fool's day, after all. So, don't take things so seriously, be confident enough to laugh it off. Come on, you can take a joke and make a joke, appropriately timed, of course!

April 2

The One Skill

Think about when you are traveling or living abroad; you're thrown into a new culture, new environment, new everything. The one skill that enables you to make the most of where you are, is your ability to adapt.

Now apply the same skill of adaptability in your everyday life. Adapt and keep adapting. Not only will you better handle the unexpected, but you'll also make things less challenging and more enjoyable.

Your Ripple Effect

We influence each other and the world around us, creating a ripple effect; like the ripples that spread when you throw a pebble into a pond.

Some of the influence, ripples out to a few, some to many, some of it effects change, some inspires, some of it lasts a moment, some a lifetime. So, understand why and how you do, what you do, and the effect that it has on others. Then choose to influence positively.

How do you create your ripple effect?

Morning Mind Fog

There are some mornings you wake up and your mind feels foggy.

Here's a way to clear the mind fog: Imagine all your foggy thoughts as the morning mist. Imagine that the sun is slowly rising and the mist is slowly beginning to evaporate, slowly dissolving the fog in your mind. As the mist disappears completely, your mind is clear, and as you soak up the morning sunlight, your mind begins to feel vibrant and radiant.

Upload, Not Unload

Do you delegate to unload the tasks you don't want to do? Or do you delegate to upload, that is, elevate people’s skills? How about, delegating to upload and not unload. It may take a little extra time and effort, but when you delegate to elevate, you both benefit.

When you're delegating, prepare a clear outline of what needs to be done, how and by when. And once you delegate, let go and give people space. If you want to offer extra support, check-in periodically to see how things are going.

Listening to Your Body

Do you listen to your body? If you listen, the body tells you when it's beginning to feel unwell, exhausted, tensed. It also tells you when it needs more or less of something, food, water, rest, sleep, exercise, movement....

Sometimes the body tells you that it wants junk food or sugary drinks or that it's too tired to exercise. And if you were to listen and follow through, it may not be what the body actually needs. So, listen to the body, evaluate what it's telling you, and then recognize what the body really needs.

Reflectively, Not Reactively

What goes around comes around. What you give, you get back.

It's not a new concept but one we don't always understand positively. Understand the concept positively and it may help you to stay calm and make sense of life. It may also empower you to respond to life reflectively, not reactively.

April 8

Time For Change

Sometimes we need to change ourselves, and sometimes we need to change the way we do things. And sometimes things change us.

A change can change everything! So, change what you need to change, but just be compassionate with yourself. Be realistic about what is possible. Be patient, because just like the seasons, change happens in its own time.

April 9

Still the Restless Mind

When the mind feels restless, think of it as a lake and the movement of thoughts and emotions as the wind that stirs up the surface of the lake.

Slowly calm all the movement and take your mind from restless to restful. Now, there’s no wind, and as the surface of the lake becomes completely still, let the mind rest, even if it’s just for a moment.

Taming the Wild Horse Mind

The mind can be like a wild horse, running freely, while we try to hold on.

To tame this wild horse, we need to a) realise that we are masters of our mind, and
b) build trust, as we would in any relationship. Build a relationship with respect and patience and you'll soon reign in the wild horse. And every now and then, let the mind run a little wild, but still hold on to the reigns.

What's Your Formula for Success?

Do you have a tried and tested formula for success? Albert Einstein's formula was: "If A equals success, then the formula is A=X+Y+Z. X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut."

Or does your formula look something like this: Right Team + Right Timing + Right Action = Success. Or is it: Dreams + Determination = Success.

If you're not seeing the success you want, is your formula wrong? Maybe something's missing? What’s your formula for success?

Are You 'Shoulding' On Others?

Watch your conversations with yourself and others, and see how often you say, "They shouldn't have done that.... They should be like this.... They should have known better...."

Catch your 'shoulds' and ask yourself, if you are being too demanding and disapproving of others? Drop your 'shoulds', or turn them into preferences or change 'shoulds' to 'coulds' and see what happens.

How Far You Have Come

It's only a few months into 2017, but why not track your progress so far this year and recognize how far you have come? Think of the challenges you have overcome and recognize a) the strengths you displayed and b) the lessons you learned or relearned. Think of your achievements and recognize a) the qualities you discovered about yourself and b) the skills you developed or strengthened.

Look at how far you have come and let it propel you forward to where you want to go.

April 14

Turn Ideas Into Reality

How many of your good ideas turn into reality? Before you turn your ideas into reality, make a good idea great. How? 1) Take an idea, expand upon it and think about how to make it happen. 2) Share the idea with others and use their feedback and recommendations to improve the idea and make it even better.

To turn the idea into a reality: 1) Commit to the idea, believe in yourself and add passion and determination. 2) Make a start and do something with it, otherwise, the idea won't go anywhere!

April 15

What Do You Remember?

Most of us tend to remember the negative experiences and the hurtful memories more than the positive and the happy ones.

It’s important to acknowledge our memories, negative or positive. But just for today, if a memory pops up that's not healthy or vibrant, try not to give it any attention and just move on. Just for today, try and only remember the good things.

April 16

Tapestry of Relationships

Relationships are like a tapestry!

What threads do you weave into the tapestry of your relationships?
Respect, acceptance, trust….? Rethink the threads you use.
Get creative to create vibrant, strong relationships.

April 17

Enjoying This Moment?

Are you enjoying all that’s happening at this moment?

If not, then think: everything that happens, happens for my personal growth. Even if you can’t see it, feel it or believe it. Just hold this thought in your awareness and start recognizing the magic and the humor in all that that’s happening at this moment.

As a result, you’ll start to enjoy and make the most out of all that’s happening at this moment.

Finding Inner Happiness

We tend to think of happiness as a commodity, as something that we have or don’t have. But actually, happiness is not a commodity, it's something that comes from within.

So, everyday go within to find inner happiness. Experience it and be happy everyday.

Pay and Give

How good is your listening ability? Most of us are not good at it because listening requires us to give our full attention.

If you want to better your listening ability, start paying attention to the sounds around you. If you are in a coffee shop, pay attention to the coffee machine, the music playing.... If you are at work, pay attention to the sounds in the background, the traffic, the air conditioning, the clock ticking....

Start paying attention and you'll get better at giving attention, and as a result better your listening ability.

As You Get Ready For Bed

We change our clothes before going to bed. It's a simple ritual that helps us to disengage from the day.

Here's a simple exercise to do, as you change out of your clothes and get ready for bed: Let go of everything that has happened during the day. Remove the stress and the pressure from the day. Put aside any unresolved issues, worries and ongoing thought processes, you can come back to it tomorrow.

Disengage your mind from the day and this will help you to sleep better.

Nice or Kind?

Are you being nice or kind? Often when we're being nice, we want something in return. And when we're being kind, we want nothing in return.

Kindness tends to be much more sincere than niceness because there are no strings attached. Shift from being nice to being kind and try a different way of being.

April 22

The Power of Compassion

Compassion soothes & empowers the minds & hearts of others, without draining its own strength. Because compassion will let go of what hurts the heart &, instead, hold on to what heals.

That's why compassion is able to empathize & see the inner need behind the expression. It's able to look behind anger & see sadness, & behind coldness, it can see fear.

How strong is your compassion? What is it able to do?

April 23

Overused Words

Often the words we use in our conversations are over used. Over used words make conversations, boring and bland.

Pick and play with words to make your conversations more vivid and colorful.

What words do you over use? What will you avoid and use instead?

You and Your Work Space

You've heard the quote from Albert Einstein: “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” What does your work space say about you? Does your work space help or hinder your focus, creativity & productivity? Research indicates that a cluttered work space promotes inspiration but reality indicates that clutter is stressful, because if you can’t find what you need, when you need it, what then!

Declutter your work space & organize & maintain a space that optimizes your focus, creativity & productivity.

Everything That Happens

They say everything happens for a reason. So, when you don’t understand why things happen the way they do, try not to get disheartened. Tell yourself to ‘just wait and see.' Things may unravel and become clearer over time, and even if they don't, tell yourself, 'there is benefit in everything.' And even if you can't see the benefit, trust that there is benefit in everything that happens.

Pack Right, Pack Light

What do you carry in your pockets and in your bag, every day? Is it all necessary? Why not give your shoulders and back a break and try a minimalist approach, and carry only the essentials.

What about your mind? What do you carry in your mind every day? Carry a heavy load and it weighs you down, so why not give yourself a break and 1) unpack what you don’t need, 2) pack right, pack light, and 3) try living baggage free life.

The Fight Club

Are you a member of the flight club? There are things worth fighting for, things that are important to us, things we care about, people we love... But if we were to spend our energy fighting every battle, it would be really tiring and draining.

Maybe it’s time to get better at knowing when to fight and when to flow. Maybe change your membership to the respect club or the calm club. And then we can conserve our energy to resolve things respectfully and make the best of things calmly.

Just Blue Sky

Sometimes we get stuck in our limitations. If you want to get unstuck, let your awareness become like the sky, stretched from horizon to horizon, vast and unlimited, just potential and blue sky!

Feel your potential and you'll work through your limitations and everything else in the best way you can.

No 'Thought for Today' on Bank Holiday Monday, back on Tuesday 2nd May.

April 29

Your Mood, Your Choice

Do you let someone or something dictate your mood? You do know, you don't have to. To be in a good mood or a bad mood, is your choice. So, if someone's a bit moody today or if something is just not right, remember to choose your mood.

April 30

What to leave in, what to leave out?

What you leave out, is just as important as what you leave in - whether it's a painting, a blog, a CV, a photograph, a book, a movie, a 'Thought for Today'.

Leave everything in and it gets in the way of creativity. Crop, edit, leave the right things out and you enhance what you’ve created and make it work better.

The art is in knowing what to leave in and what to leave out!